Popping Cherry
Updated 2008-04-18 19:17:03
Ah, title sequence, how I love thee!
Okay, so last week, some serious shit went down. Harry taught us all that something majorly boned happened in Dexter's early childhood that gave him the urge to kill. Deb found the ice truck, which contained five fingertips, each with different-colored nail polish. Dexter thought all the effort was to impress him. Deb got reassigned to homicide and responded in her uniquely dorky way. A cop named Ricky Simmons and his wife got murdered, and Doakes took. It. Personally! But only because he was totally gettin' some on the side from Mrs. Simmons herself. Apparently, Ricky was deep undercover with a crime syndicate run by a Mr. Carlos Guerrero, whom Dexter stared down at a urinal at the end of the episode.
And we're back to now, with a gorgeous shot of the Miami daytime sky. Suddenly we're treated to the voice of an un-brain-damaged Cyril O'Reily (Scott Winters, yet another actor from Oz , as well as that douche from the "How ya like them apples" scene from Good Will Hunting ), saying, "Miami's full of good cops. A lot of them here today." He goes on to say something about not wanting any of them to hit on his sister, which seems inappropriate considering he's delivering a eulogy for Ricky Simmons, his apparent brother-in-law. Ooh, juicy! I have a feeling we're in for some good ol' beefing between him and Doakes. Dex comes in with a VO: "Most people have a hard time dealing with death, but I'm not most people." You don't say. "It's the grief that makes me uncomfortable, but not because I'm a killer. Really, I just don't understand all that emotion, which makes it tough to fake. In those cases, shades make it handy." Dexter slaps on a pair of shades. Because he's so emotionless. He looks cool.
Suddenly, the funeral service is over, and Doakes approaches "Mac," which is short for Detective MacNamara (you know, Cyril O'Reily). Doakes says, "I'm sorry." "Thanks, man." "Fucking travesty." Doakes talks a bunch of shit about Guerrero, and MacNamara's all, "I didn't know you and Ricky were so tight." "It's not about that. You fuck with a cop, and you lose the right to walk the streets, am I right?" "Right." Dude, this shit's going to come to a head. I just know MacNamara's going to find out Doakes was sleeping with his sister...
Angel and Deb pass LaGuerta, who's giving a TV interview about Ricky, who apparently "knew no fear." They catch up with Dexter, and Deb's like, "Can you believe her? She didn't even know Simmons." Dexter doesn't care. Deb continues, "I'm proud of you for coming, bro. I know you hate funerals. How you holding up?" "I'm managing." Then, VO: "No I'm not. Keeping my face pinched in sorrow for two straight hours is a real chore." Then, as he observes Ricky Simmons's ashes being spread on the shore: "A whole life reduced to ashes. For Ricky Simmons, it's over." Thank God! I'm so sick of typing his stupid name over and over. I never even met the guy! "But sometime you get a second chance." Really? How? Please explain, Mr. Morgan.
Now in the car outside a prison, Dexter continues, "Florida prisons kick free 25,000 inmates a year. They don't do that for me, but it sure feels like it. I search for the ones who think they beat the system. They're not hard to find, like Jeremy Downs." We see a very young-looking kid glancing around in slow motion, indeed looking as though he just got away with something major.
Back at Dex's crib, our main man is doing his research on Mr. Downs, who "got off easy. Four years in a juvenile facility for manslaughter. To the coroner the knife-strokes looked random, impulsive. But I saw the work of a young virtuoso. Too many major arteries were severed." Hmm -- so basically this kid is you , is what you're saying. Although Dexter thinks Jeremy is "just another piece of trash," four years ago he was the "toast of Miami." He watches a QuickTime video of a news report, which reveals that Jeremy killed a young boy when he was fifteen, which would make him roughly nineteen or twenty now. Dexter VOs, "I knew what he was, and what he'd do again. All I had to do was circle my calendar and wait." Heh, word.
Now, Dexter and the kids are doing some yard work, and Rita wants to know if anyone wants lemonade. They all make small talk about lemons, and the new lemon tree, and Cody wants to have a lemonade stand. Dexter says he'll apply for a business license in the morning. Rita thanks Dexter for doing all the hard work, and says, "I moved here from Michigan with images of fruit trees in my mind." Michigan, eh? Apparently, Rita keeps killing the plants she puts in, but Dexter tells her not to worry because he has a green thumb. All of a sudden, we hear, "Hey, Rita," and some really scummy-looking dude wearing a leather jacket (in Miami ) is walking up the driveway, looking like a menace. "Paul doesn't live here anymore," says Rita, and the guy laughs. "No shit, he's still in jail. But he still owes me for two ounces of blow, which means you owe me." Now, I don't know much about cocaine, but two ounces seems like a lot. Dexter thinks so, too, and begins walking towards the guy, but Rita tells him to not get involved. "I never know in these situations," he VOs. Rita explains to the gentleman that she doesn't have money to pay him, and he says, "You have a car." "You want my car?" "Yeah, are the keys in it?" What is this guy, from Coco Repo? Cody asks the guy if he knows his dad, and the guy's all, "I sure do, little man! You look just like him!" After telling Cody he'll say "hi" to his dad for him, he looks back to Rita, menacing once again. He threatens to go inside and toss the furniture around and make a mess, but he'd rather just take the "fucking car." Dexter finally chimes in, saying, "Why don't you go inside and get the keys, and I'll wait with our friend here." Rita does just that, as Dexter stares the guy down. At first, the guy plays all tough: "What, you think you take me with your little red shovel?" Dexter maintains his mocking, sardonic glower, which really creeps the guy out and he has to look away. Rita comes back out, and chucks the car key at the dude's face. He snatches it up quickly, hops in Rita's RAV4, and we hear tires screech as he peels out (which is next to impossible in a four-cylinder car-sized SUV like that. They just don't have the juice). Rita's crying.
Later, Dexter's hanging outside the bathroom, asking, "Is everything okay in there?" "Yeah," says Rita, obviously still shaken from the incident. Dexter tells her that he can get her car back, but she doesn't want it. "I just want my past to go away." "Well, it went away in your RAV4." True. So true. "Whatever it takes," says Rita. "I can drive you to work until you get another car," Dex tells her. "Or, I could take the bus like millions of other people. Come on, let's go enjoy this beautiful day." Okay, Rita, whatever. Dude's just trying to help out a little, prove that he's not a serial killer, but hey, you don't want his help? Forget it. Real nice.
Over at BloodLab 2021, Dexter is showing Masuka and Angel a picture of a blunt-force trauma victim in the trunk of a car, and Masuka asks if either of them have seen the new "Hottie McHotass" in dispatch yet. Angel says she's a butter-face, and Dexter doesn't know what that means. "You know, compa , she's got a hot body...but her face..." Now Dexter gets it. Masuka posits that it would be great to "pull a bronco" on her, and now I have to admit I'm lost as well, and I pride myself at being pretty knowledgeable about these kinds of things. Angel, care to explain? " Mira, aquí . You do it doggie-style, right? And right as she's getting into it, you yell another woman's name and, bam! You're riding her like a bronco 'cause she's trying to buck you off." Oh, okay. That's pretty tame, actually, compared to some of the others I've heard. The Houdini, anyone? Yikes. Or the Abe Lincoln? That's my personal fave. I have a feeling that Dexter doesn't have a favorite, because he's now VOing: "Sometimes I feel like I'm missing some essential piece of the human puzzle. This is one of them." As Masuka and Angel continue acting out "The Bronco," Deb comes up and goes, "Oh, The Bronco?" It's like she's one of the boys! Anyway, she's come to announce that the ITK (Ice Truck Killer; it's now apparently his official name) has returned. "You're not going to believe where he left the body."
It is, indeed, pretty unbelievable, I have to say. He's left the hacked-up bits in the goal at the local ice hockey arena. "I knew he'd be back. It feels like Christmas morning," Dexter VOs, as live Dexter runs towards the scene excitedly. "Look at that. A miracle on ice. Stunning." As Dexter stares, enamored, Angel asks him if he's all right. "It's like a dream..." Angel's creeped out. "Standing on the home ice of the Miami Blades?" Angel rightly never figured Dex for a hockey fan, but Dexter's on to the body, asking, "What do we know?" Masuka says it's the same as the others, but Angels corrects him: "So far, I don't see any hesitation cuts. I think our boy's got his confidence back." "He never lost it, he was just getting bored," says Dexter creepily. Angel: "What do you think he's trying to tell us?" "That hockey is a violent sport?" "What else." "He's escalating the thrill." Probably right, there, Dex. Putting a chopped-up body in the middle of a huge public arena is pretty ballsy, that's for sure. Deb finally arrives and wonders what she's missed. Masuka holds up a hand and notices out loud that it's missing fingertips. Deb chimes in, saying, "This body belongs to the frozen fingertips we found in the truck. Sherry Taylor, another prostitute." Thanks for spelling that out, Deb. None of us would have made that connection. What would we do without you? Sorry for the sarcasm. Dexter pats her on the shoulder, says, "No blood, no need for me," and moves to take off, when Doakes calls to Deb from the penalty box. "Morgan, come up to the command center. We think we have a suspect." Dexter turns around. "Do we really have a suspect?" he asks, totally interested, obviously. Deb says something about how she'll let him know, because she's a big-shot homicide girl now, when she sees Masuka brush the deceased's hair from her face, and stops mid-sentence. "I know her. She called herself Cherry. We worked the same corner when I was undercover." "You were, like, friends?" asks Dex. "Yes," Deb says as she starts to walk away. "Do you want a hug?" "Fuck off!" Hee!
Up in the mezzanine, Doakes tells LaGuerta the surveillance tape is missing. "Let me guess: the one that was on the ice?" "They said you were good." Heh; okay, fair enough, Doakes. "Don't bust my balls, I have the press knuckling the door outside." Oh, poor you! I thought you loved making love to the camera! She's pissed because she figures there must have been someone who saw what happened: "Rent-a-badge, cleaning crew...crack-whore in the men's room? Come on, work with me here." Doakes mentions that there's a night watchman they can't find, and LaGuerta immediately says, "Well, then he's a suspect." Deb catches this last part, and corrects her: "Unless the Ice Truck Killer abducted him to gain access to the arena." True, true. Good call, Debster. "Your brother help you out with that logic?" LaGuerta asks her, bitchily. Deb, brushing that off, says she wants to talk to her girls from the corner to see if they know anything. "No," says LaGuerta. "I want you to work with Doakes." Dude, why is she such a snatch-face all the time? Nice power trip, you ass. Doakes comes to Deb's defense: "Maria, she has contacts." He gives LaGuerta a "c'maaaaan" face, and after a pregnant pause, she asks Deb, "Do you still have your tube top?" " And my nipple clamps." "Don't come back without any information." Doakes drinks his coffee quietly as LaGuerta bores holes into his head with her eyes. Some loud Cuban music plays as we're brought to...
...a flea market! I love the flea! As the camera pans down to street level from a bird's-eye shot, Dexter Vos, "Everyone moves to Miami to die, which means we have more junk than any city in America. A skilled bargain hunter can find real treasure here, but that's not my idea of hunting. I prefer a stalk-and-ambush approach." As Dexter walks around, taking everything in, he comes upon Jeremy Downs, who's shopping at a weapons table. He wants to check out a knife, and the vendor tells him he has a good eye. "See the curve of the blade? Like the talon of an eagle." He only wants fifteen bucks, and Jeremy's game, so he buys it. Jeremy starts flailing around with it instantly, jabbing the knife into the air, and he swirls around quickly. Dexter, of course, is there to catch his arm before he puts someone's eye out. "Easy, kid," he says. The vendor comes back with Jeremy's change, and asks what the fuck is going on, and Dexter tells him, "Nothing, honest mistake." "Be careful with that thing, eh?" the vendor says, and Jeremy takes off. As Dexter begins to flash back to his younger days, the vendor asks him, "So, what do you hunt? Trophies or meat?"
Harry is taking Dex out hunting. "Which one today, Dex? Winchester?" "How about the nine millimeter," says Dex. "The handgun? Not exactly the weapon of choice for pheasants." I was just gonna say...actually, no I wasn't. I did riflery in camp when I was younger, and I was pretty good, but aside from that my knowledge of guns is quite minimal. Anyway, as Young Dexter fondles what I assume is the nine millimeter in question, he asks Harry if he's ever shot anybody. "'Fraid so." "Any of 'em die?" "Just one," Harry says stoically, clearly not psyched to be having this conversation. But Dexter persists: "How'd it feel? To kill a guy?" "Not so great, Dex. When you take a man's life, you're not just killing him. You're snuffing all the things he'll ever become." He goes on to explain that as a cop, he only fires his weapon to save a life, and that's his code. "Killing to serve a purpose otherwise is just plain murder." Harry announces that he's changed his mind. "I think we'll take the Ruger." "I thought rifles were no good for hunting pheasants." "We're not hunting pheasants."
Quickly, a shot of Harry shooting his rifle, with Dexter looking over his shoulder. As they walk towards the kill, Harry says, "This deer will put food on our table tonight." "I...it's still alive." I think Harry knows what he's doing, Y.D. "This is how we'll control your urges for now," says Harry as he pulls out a knife and hands it to Dexter. "Why don't you go ahead, son?" "Really?" Harry nods. Dexter crouches down, swings the knife, and the first wet thud of the knife finding its mark brings us back to...
...the flea market! But only for a second so we can see Dexter reminiscing before we're confronted with...
...Doakes! Noooo! He's reading an article about Kara Simmons (you know, his now-dead lover) and brooding. Again, the Cuban music, which brings us to...
...a lavish outdoor affair. It seems like a large private party, and most of the party-goers seem as though they are of Cuban descent. People are eating and drinking wine, kids are running around and playing, and Carlos Guerrero (ah, I see) is schmoozing with guests. And here's...Doakes? Oh, dude. What's he doing? He rolls up to one of the many refreshment tables, and watches a teenage girl wrapping up a conversation with a priest. When she's finished, she walks over to the table and grabs some punch, and Doakes says, "Hi, Rose. Congratulations on your confirmation." The girl says, "Thank you," obviously confused. "Do I know you?" "My name's James Doakes, Miami Metro P.D. I'm investigating the murder of a cop and his wife." Wow, Doakes, you've got serious cojones, really. He starts asking her if she recognizes a guy in a picture, when Guerrero rolls up, visibly pissed at Doakes's presence. "You just opened a very dangerous door." "No, you did," replies Doakes, continuing loudly, "when you killed a cop and his wife!" Guerrero is pretty taken aback by this, and Doakes shows himself out. Okay, that was pretty sweet.
Now over to Deb, who has returned to her former street corner in her fancy new cop suit. Her old girls notice her, and immediately want to know who she fucked to get the nice duds. Deb sheepishly confesses to them that she's a cop, and a girl named Bridget immediately bolts, which is pretty hilarious. Anyway, the remaining girls are annoyed, because they apparently trusted her before. After making it clear that she's not going to bust any of them, she explains that the ITK got Cherry, who was clearly a mutual friend. Some of the hookers are all about taking off and going somewhere else until this ITK thing blows over, but one of them is all, "I was here first, so fuck him," which is kind of rad. Another girl says she saw Cherry get into a car, and never saw her come back. Deb asks her if she remembers the driver. "No, but the car was one of those old station wagons with the wood panels on the side." Like the one in the original National Lampoon's Vacation ? I've always wanted a replica of that car. It was so ridiculous. Sorry. ["Never apologize for loving the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. It is excellent." -- Sars ] Anyway, Deb is really happy, because this constitutes a lead (and thus, another accomplishment to shove in LaGuerta's unappreciative face). When she mentions LaGuerta, the girls all recoil humorously. "What?" "You never piss off your pimp." "LaGuerta's not my pimp!" "Does she tell you what to do?" "Is your pussy taking all the grief?" "Does she steal everything you earn?" Good points, all. Deb's all, "Yeah, she totally does that." "Then she's your pimp!" "I'm not a whore." "What's wrong with being a fucking whore?" Touché. Whore.
Back at the station, Dexter's brought Deb a present to celebrate her first real homicide case. It's a cactus. "So," says Dex. "Any progress on our frosty friend?" Deb tells him that she's been checking the DMV records for station wagons, of which there are thousands, but "guess who's not on the list?" "The night watchman." Deb knew LaGuerta "had her head up her ass on that one," and that she has no idea who the ITK really is. "Good," says Dexter. "Why good?" Oops! Careful, Dexter. Don't want to let her in on your little playtime with this guy, do you? "Uh, good for you," he says, covering clumsily. "You're going to be the one to apprehend this heinous murderer, not her." Well, okay, fair enough, Dexter. But jeez. You gotta watch yourself, dude. Anyway, he's out.
It's the next day (I presume), and Dexter's on his treadmill while reading...about Jeremy Downs, when he gets a call. It's Rita, and she's wondering if it's a "bad time." We get a shot of her sitting at the bus stop as Dexter wonders aloud if Cody needs to be picked up at school. She says "no," but continues that there's a social worker coming to the house that evening, and she's not sure whether the buses are reliable enough to get her there on time. Some woman sitting next to her gives her a glare that basically says, "How dare you question the bus system in this grand city of ours? I ride these buses every day, and if they're good enough for me, they're good enough for anyone!" Rita responds with an apologetic smile as Dexter tells her, "I'll be there." She thanks him sincerely, and we're on the next scene.
Over at the station, Doakes and LaGuerta are co-presenting their case against Tony Tucci, whom they presume to be the ITK, which Deb thinks is bullshit. They've come to the conclusion that Tucci is their guy because they found the missing surveillance tape at his apartment, and it contained video of Tucci himself placing the body parts in the goal at the arena. Definitely pretty damning, but not proof by any stretch. Deb interrupts LaGuerta as she's announcing a "statewide manhunt" for Tucci, asking if he drives a station wagon. "Excuse me, Morgan?" "The last know victim was seen getting into a station wagon." "I don't recall asking for any questions, Ms. Morgan." Damn, Deb! She is your pimp! After the briefing, Deb pissily rolls her chair over to Dex and Angel, and says, "It doesn't make sense. After being so careful for so long, why would he leave recorded evidence?" Good observation, Deb. I think he's clearly just fucking with the police, giving them enough evidence to keep them busy so he can have more time to "play" with Dexter. But you don't know that. Dexter VOs, "Of course I agree with my sister, but unlike her, I'm not upset. He's still out there. And I'm waiting, breathless." I really can't wait to see how this all unfolds. Who is this killer?
Over at Rita's, Dexter is stalling with the aforementioned social worker, telling her the bus is probably running late. "Rita's usually home by now, I'm just backup." The social worker (who is totally played by Beth from Better Off Dead ), mentions that Rita's file says she has personal transportation. "Well, she did," says Dexter. "She will again, soon, probably next week?" The woman tells Dexter that it's really nothing to worry about, she just has to make a note of it, but that otherwise, Rita is "doing an exemplary job." Dexter seems happy to hear it. They chat about how all home visits should be this pleasant, and Dexter tells her how he was taken in by a great family that recognized his "special needs," which...heh. She says, "You're lucky." Finally, Rita shows up, practically sprinting to catch the social worker before she leaves, and the two go inside as Dexter VOs, "I am lucky. What do I know about abuse? Without the code of Harry, I'm sure I would have committed a senseless murder in my youth, just to watch the blood flow."
Ooh, it's flashback time! Harry is clearly infirm, with tubes in his nose and everything, lying in a hospital bed as a woman fluffs his pillow and says, "Just try to keep him comfortable, it's about all we can do for him now." We see Dex 'n' Deb looking down, clearly younger, but still being played by M.C.H. and Jen Carpenter. Actually, Mr. Hall's wig is atrocious, but kind of perfect at the same time. Deb says, "I don't understand. A week ago the doctor said he was getting better." "Oh, he is getting better, sweetie," says the nurse (played by Denise Crosby of Pet Sematary and Star Trek: The Next Generation fame). "A body cannot suffer in sweet repose." Okay, she's creepy, and it's definitely on purpose. I think there's something up with her. The nurse takes her leave as Deb wonders aloud what she meant. "She's weird," says Dexter quietly, mirroring my sentiment. Harry speaks weakly: "Listen you two, I won't be around much longer." Deb protests, but he continues, "When I'm gone, I won't be able to stop you from being who you are. Sooner or later, you'll need to do it." Deb looks downright confused, as well she should, because Harry's clearly addressing Dex at this point. "Remember our lessons." "I can't make it without you," says Dexter. "Yes you can. If you feel like you're slipping, lean on your sister. She'll keep you connected."
Deb and Angel are re-watching the surveillance tape as Deb says, "Fucking forensics report. Of course Tucci's hair and fiber are on the body, he's hauling her around with his poor cans, isn't he?" Actually, my closed captioning says "pork hands," but I think "poor cans" makes slightly more sense, in a weird way. Shut up, don't question me! Angel goes on to say the killer used liquid nitrogen to preserve the tissue, which apparently one has to be a "lab rat" just to mess around with, due to how unstable it is. "Tucci didn't even pass high school chemistry." Interesting. So, he's obviously not our guy, now is he? Angel pauses the tape to show Tucci turn his head in a way that's consistent with him taking direction from someone. "Yeah, someone holding a fucking gun to his back!" says Deb excitedly, and I'm psyched for her, but only because she gets to rub it in LaGuerta's face. "She's gonna have to cancel her press conference!" "And you know how much she loves her press conferences," says Angel, clearly satisfied with the work they've done here. Good job, you guys!
Jeremy Downs and a "friend" are leaving some building, and I'm sure we wouldn't be seeing this if Dexter weren't as well. ...Ah, there he is, in stunning close-up. God, I love HDTV. I can see every pore and piece of stubble on his face! I digress, sorry. Dexter follows them to some marsh, where he eats lunch and watches from afar as Jeremy leads his buddy over a "No Trespassing"-signed fence and into a restricted area of the wetland. Dexter busts out some binoculars and catches the knife in Downs's back pocket as he scales the fence. "Bingo," he VOs. "I know what happens next in this gruesome little scenario." He thinks Jeremy is trying to "recreate his first kill, ritualize it." Following them more closely now, we hear Jeremy's acquaintance voice his trepidation, saying, "I don't know if I want to do this, man." "What's wrong? I thought you wanted to see an alligator. What, are you a pussy?" After the other guy protests this particular assessment, they keep walking, Dexter closely but quietly in tow. They reach a small clearing, and Jeremy says, "Here we are." "I don't see it." "It's right there, you don't see the snout sticking up? You'll have to get closer." Nice setup, Downs. Not. I would be so fucking suspicious of you, you little creep. "There's no gator here, is there?" asks the dude. "I don't know, Lucas. Is there?" Things are pretty tense right about now, and Jeremy's reaching for his knife. But then Dexter comes up, asking nonchalantly if either of them have seen a Frisbee, as if neither of them would remember climbing a fence with a "No Trespassing" sign on it. Jeremy, feeling exposed, gets the fuck out of there, saying...well, "Let's get the fuck out of here." As Dexter walks back slowly, he wonders to himself, "What am I doing out here?" Suddenly an actual alligator barks at him from about two feet away, and he's jolted back to life, screaming "Fuck! Fuck!" and landing in a puddle of mud. He gets up quickly and darts away, and hits his head awkwardly on a large branch. It's actually pretty hilarious, and is a perfect example of how this show can use subtle and not-so-subtle comic relief to make its more sinister messages that much more intense. Thing is, Dexter's a pretty funny guy. His observations and reactions are quick-witted, and he actually has a kind of ironic/sarcastic sense of humor about what he does. Great character. Sorry, again, I digress. As Dex gathers himself, he VOs, "All I had to do was drive home, have a taco, and plan my attack. Instead I tried to act human, like it's my job to save lives." When he gets to his car, the window's been smashed, and something stolen from his glove compartment. "The code of Harry never covered this." Well, why would it? Just go to a body shop and...oh, you mean what you just did? Gotcha. Yeah, you may have muffed it, buddy. "At least I know what Jeremy is, and what I need to do." Hmm; we'll see.
Flashback time again, which is sweet, because Remar rules! Except for when he's this sick. The nurse is back, prepping a shot for Harry, who's whispering to Dexter, "Don't let her." Oh, I see. Is our little nurse trying to extend Harry's "sweet repose"? She leans in with the syringe, and Dexter grabs her arm in much the same way as he grabbed Jeremy's at the flea, and she asks, "What is it, honey?" "He doesn't want the shot." "Your father's very sick, he needs this shot, he's in a lot of pain." "I want pain," says Harry. "He wants pain," mirrors Dexter, and we're treated to a shot of the nurse that spells out quite clearly what a psychopath she is. As she slowly retreats, her demeanor has completely shifted from upbeat to surly. "The doctor's not going to be happy that you're refusing your medication." After she leaves, Harry turns to Dexter. "You can tell." "About the nurse? Yeah, she's...like...me. How could you tell?" Harry explains that she's administering way too much morphine, as well as something else that's making him worse. He's convinced he's not the only one, and there's a slow (and extremely effective) shot of Harry trying to find the breath to tell Dexter, "Stop...her." Dexter, with a knowing look on his face, asks him how he should stop her. "It's time," whispers Harry, giving me gooseflesh. "Before she hurts anyone else." Young Dexter nods, and I bounce up and down in my seat in excited anticipation, hoping they show Dexter doing this bat-shit woman in. That scene was actually really wonderful, because we got to see how vulnerable and scared Dexter was, and how much he relied on his father's advice, and how he took all of his cues from Harry. As always, great acting from both Mr. Hall and Mr. Remar. Kudos to them both.
Back at the station, Deb is showing her pimp's pimp, Captain Astor, the footage of Tucci placing the body parts in the goal, noting how his body language is consistent with taking directions. Astor seems skeptical, so Deb continues to explain about the whores and the station wagon, and how Tucci doesn't even own a car. "I'm telling you, there's no fucking way this guy can be the Ice Truck Killer...uh, sir." He asks her what LaGuerta thinks about all this, and when Deb tells him she came straight to him, he takes her down a few pegs for violating the chain of command. "If I find you can't swim in these waters, I'll put you right back out on the street, you got it?" "Yes, sir." "Your father never would have pulled the kind of shit you just did." Damn, Deb. Never piss off your pimp, let alone your pimp's pimp! You gotta play the game, girl!
Of course, being the respectable pimp he is, Astor is now telling LaGuerta that one of her officers has evidence that casts doubt on this manhunt of hers. "Who, Morgan?" she asks. He reminds her that she would be remiss to ignore good intel just to further her political career. "You need a reality check," he says. "Let's cut to the chase. Are you telling me to call of my manhunt? Because I will remind you that Jeb Bush himself signed off on it." "No, you go ahead and hold your press conference, Maria. People of this city need to know we're doing something about this mess. But don't expect me to bail you out if that night watchman turns out to be a dead end." Holy shit, dude. Astor's kind of a bad-ass, laying the smackdown on LTLG like that. Good stuff!
Next thing we know, there's a news report about the manhunt, which everyone at the station is watching with rapt attention. Deb turns away, disgusted, as MacNamara asks Doakes if he's down to blow off some steam with the guys after work. Doakes is down, so MacNamara will pick him up at eight. The music makes this interaction sound way more sinister than it probably is. Or does it?
Over at the Z Hotel, where Rita is a receptionist. Rita gets a call on her cell, and Mr. Curtis from school informs her that her friend, Denise, never picked up Astor. "Okay, I'll work something out," she says, and next thing you know Dexter is carrying Astor around, dancing and playing all through the house while jubilant music plays in the score. He puts her down on the kitchen counter, and she wants to do it again! "Shh, let's not wake Cody," he says. "Now let's see about that splinter." After commenting on how it's a "deep one," he mentions the "Splinter Fairy," and how she'll leave candy for Astor's splinter. Astor thinks it's all made up, just like the Tooth Fairy. It's silly and ridiculous, but it shows how good Dex is with these kids. Astor is clearly fond of him. Rita comes in with some groceries, and the door slams behind her just as Dexter yanks the splinter from Astor's finger. We're treated to a quick flash of blood and Astor yelps. "Will the Splinter Fairy still come if I cry?" she asks, having forgotten her previous skepticism, and hugs Dexter. It's very cute. Rita thanks Dexter for picking her up from school, and he VOs, "If I had a heart, it might be breaking right now." Aw. Seriously, that was actually quite touching. I'm not always a sarcastic bastard, people! I bleed, too! (Sniff) I. Bleed. Too .
Now, Deb's back downtown, among her old haunts, doing some deeper investigating. She's scouring the streets with her eyes, looking for more clues. Abruptly, she stops in her tracks, having noticed the rear end of a wood-panelled station wagon behind a building a little ways away. Debs looks pretty stunned, but begins walking briskly to check it out, almost getting hit by a car in the meantime. It takes her about a minute of screen time to get to the car, which is pretty effective, suspense-wise, as the creepy music slowly builds in the score. It turns out to just be a couple of locals sitting in the car, although what they're up to is rather unclear, and they certainly look shady. Deb says, "Sorry," and saunters off awkwardly.
Over with Doakes, who's having a guy's night with MacNamara and a couple of his buddies in a car. Doakes wants to know why they're "in the Gables," and MacNamara says, "I told you, we're blowing off some steam." Dude, I don't like this. This spells trouble. MacNamara's buddy hands out clown masks, and Doakes is extra big-ass confused. "What the hell is this?" "A disguise," MacNamara answers. Apparently, to MacNamara, "blowing off some steam" means "hunting down one of Guerrero's guys and fucking him up some." Wow. Wow. Doakes, now pissed, is all, "Hold up, Mac, I thought you wanted to go out and get shit-faced, man!" "I am shit-faced," he responds, quite menacingly. Doakes tells him he's all for sending a message, but "this ain't the way, man." MacNamara doesn't care, and he and his buddies exit the car with their clown masks on. Doakes, having none of this, follows them, trying to get Mac's attention. Finally, when he does, he explains that Guerrero has seen his face, and that he'll think he's behind this. One of MacNamara's minions says through his mask, "That's part of the plan, buddy." "What plan?" MacNamara: "You fucked my sister. You fucked a cop's wife. Now? Now you're just fucked." Dude, not cool. Seriously, not cool. You're a dick. I know you just lost your sister, and we all process in our way, but sabotaging one of the few truly good cops on your force has nothing to do with that. It could be worse, I suppose. He could be reprising his stupid Cyril O'Reily four-year-old affectation, and complaining that "Shiwingew wants to touch my pwivates, Wyan." God, I hated that role. Anyhow, Doakes is...well, he's less than thrilled at this development, needless to say, and has no choice but to walk home as we hear the other hooligans break into the Guerrero's buddy's place.
Over at the Homestead Halfway House, Jeremy Downs is playing what sounds like Master Blaster (although I can't be totally sure) in a well-lit recreation room, when the lights go out completely, save for one spotlight that is conveniently and stylistically trained right on him. He looks around confusedly, and yells out, "Quit fuckin' around, turn on the lights!" Dexter comes bolting out of the dark and slams our young killer against a padded pillar. "You're mine, now," he says, holding up his magical paralyzing syringe. "You want to kill me, fag, 'cause I killed the last guy who raped me." Whoa. Hey now. Dexter never mentioned anything about this kid getting raped, probably because he never knew: "What guy? He raped you, the guy you killed when you were fifteen? Why didn't you ever tell anybody?" "Would you?" Dexter VOs, "I understand now." Yeah, you do. "He was taking out the garbage, like I do." Quickly, Jeremy's face turns into Teenage Dexter's and then back again, and Dexter, taking mercy on him, tells him that he doesn't want to cancel his credit cards and go to the DMV, so "just give me back the wallet you stole from my car or I'll break your fucking neck." Jeremy tells him it's in his backpack, so Dexter grabs it and takes off. Jeremy follows him into the hallway and asks, "Wait, is that all?" "You want more?" Jeremy shakes his head. "That boy who raped you four years ago...did he deserve to die?" asks Dex. "Yeah, he did." "Well, the boy the other day didn't. Remember that. It could save your life one day." Downs looks like his mind is blown, and shuffles off, probably to finish his game, provided he's smart enough to find the circuit breaker and get the power back on.
And now we're with Nursey O'Killigan (or that's what I'm calling her, because IMDb is just calling her "Harry's nurse," which...boring), and I assume we're flashing back to Dexter's "taking out" of her proverbial "garbage." She's just gotten home from a rough day of poisoning already-sick people, and starts calling out for her cat, Mr. Tinker. Quite crazed-looking, she says, "Are you trapped behind the couch again, Mr. Tinker-stinker." Um, gross. As she approaches her living room, Dexter VOs, "The nurse was my first playmate. I'll always be grateful to her for opening up so many magnificent new doors." I'll bet, dude. She opens the door to her living room, which is completely coated in plastic wrap, and Dexter flails in behind her, holding his syringe. His technique is clearly not refined yet, that's for sure. Suddenly, he darts at her, and she slaps the needle away, and they wrestle awkwardly for a while, and it's hilarious. Finally, Dexter pins her and punches her the face, which I assume knocks her out. "Things were a bit rough in the beginning," he VOs, "but hey, perfecting a craft takes time." Yeah, Rome wasn't drugged, Saran-Wrapped, and slaughtered in a day. Later, when she wakes up, Dexter is reading her scrapbook of all of her kills at the hospital. "Are all of your victims in here?" She tries to say something, but her mouth is stuffed, so he goes over to her. He holds a knife up to her neck and says, "Scream and lose a tongue." "A" tongue? How many does she have? Anyway, he removes her gag, and she says, "I helped them, all of them. I took their pain away." Then Dexter says it's her turn to have her pain taken away, and it's pretty bad-ass. Like, he should totally be smoking a cigar and holding a double-barrelled shotgun with a button down shirt open to his navel and a grenade necklace on, saying "Merry Christmas, fuck-face." You know, or something. Anyway, he starts stabbing away, and the Foley guys really had a field day on this scene, because the splattering and gushing noises are pretty gruesome. And awesome.
Dexter VOs as his stabbing gives way to Deb cheerily pushing Harry around in a wheelchair: "It was messier than I expected, but still a special day. But of course, it was really Harry who paved the way to my salvation. With the nurse put down, Harry lived another year before hardening arteries squeezed the last bit of life from him. But his lessons have never failed me." Then, as Doakes heads out to his car at the station: "Harry taught me that death isn't the end. It's the beginning of a chain reaction that will catch you if you're not careful." This last part is spoken as one of Guerrero's henchmen holds up a clown mask and shoots it with a finger gun as Doakes looks on. A slow-motion shot of LaGuerta eating at a local restaurant, "getting to know the locals," prompts Dexter to say, "He taught me that none of us are who we appear to be on the outside, but we must maintain appearances to survive." Now we're with Rita, watering her symbolic lemon tree in gorgeous slow motion (I'm telling you, HD, dude), as Dex continues, "But there was something Harry didn't teach me. Something he didn't know, couldn't possibly know." As we watch the kids sitting at their lemonade stand: "The willful taking of life represents the ultimate disconnect from humanity. It leaves you an outsider, forever looking in, searching for company to keep." Dexter then rolls up in Rita's driveway in a totally pimped-out...I don't even know what, but it's a convertible with a tinted windshield, huge rims, plush velour seats, and a huge Jesus painted on the hood. I totally want it. "Neat ride!" says Cody. "Is it yours?" "No, it's yours! Until your mom can get a new one." Then, to Rita, "I borrowed it from impound, right before auction." Rita is all smiles, amazed at his generosity, and she and kids climb in for a test drive, as Dex VOs, "All you can do is play along in life, and hope that sometimes you get it right." After seeing all of their relieved faces, and as Cody plays with the fuzzy animal-print dice hanging from the rearview: "Score one for the little wooden boy." That's right, Dex. You done good, my man. But really? Enough of this "outsider" crap. I just don't buy it. Just because you're a serial killer does not necessarily mean you are as disconnected from humanity as your...peers? Is that the right word? I mean, just remember who it is you've been killing. You're aaaaall right, kiddo.
Shorter episode this week, but still a pretty packed one. It definitely established some interesting plot lines for the future. There was some excellent acting as well. I love the Rita scenes; I think they're some of the most telling about Dexter's true feelings.
'Til next time!